Gaerea: “I knew what emotions I wanted to convey with this album. I knew it was going to be more about me as an individual.”

With their latest album arriving via Century Media Records, Gaerea enter a new phase in their evolution as a band. Approaching a decade together, Loss marks a shift away from the dissonant black metal intensity that defined earlier releases such as Limbo and Mirage. Lyrically, Loss sees a shift as well with frontman Alpha focusing on personal experiences, exploring emotions and memories drawn from the songwriter’s own life while maintaining the aggressive and atmospheric sound that has shaped their identity.

Beginning with early songs like “Luminary” and “Stardust,” the direction of Loss developed organically, allowing the band to explore a wider emotional and musical range. The result is a collection that moves between some of the most aggressive material they have written and some of their most vulnerable and experimental work. For the frontman, writing in such a direct and personal way proved both liberating and challenging, forcing him to confront memories and experiences that had long been buried.

In our latest Cover Story, V13 speaks with Alpha about the writing process behind the new album, the decision to step away from traditional black metal expectations, and the personal themes that shape the record. From reflecting on teenage trauma and loss to exploring how those experiences continue to influence their music today, Alpha discusses how this release represents a continued growth in the band, not just musically, but in how they approach songwriting, collaboration, and their future as a band.

You started off with a comment about the album appealing to both old and new fans of the band, but not in the way they would expect. Were there particular expectations you were pushing against when you wrote the new record?

“I think everything is about writing songs for the first time and trying our best to be completely real to ourselves right now. We’re not that band that wants to be extreme and sound more aggressive than any other band. We already did quite a few of those dissonant black metal albums.

We did Limbo. We did an album like Mirage. I think that now, as we’re approaching ten years as a band and getting a bit older, experience has brought us to this point where we just wanted to write an album about ourselves. It’s exactly that. It’s a very truthful album to ourselves as people. Even though it’s an anonymous band, it definitely deals with a lot of things in my life, things I dealt with as a teenager and things I dealt with very recently.”

What was the writing process for you? Did you go in with a blank sheet, or did you have an idea of what you wanted to achieve with this record?

“I knew what I wanted to do in terms of the emotions and expressions I wanted to convey with this album. I knew it was going to be more about me as an individual, and I wanted to pour more of that into the music. We had nothing rearranged from different sessions. Everything started with the first song you heard, “Luminary.” The second song I wrote was “Stardust.” With that in mind, I realised this was going to be a very different journey because I allowed myself to write whatever the emotions brought to the table.

“I knew what I wanted to do in terms of the emotions and expressions I wanted to convey with this album. I knew it was going to be more about me as an individual…”

You end up with songs that are probably the most aggressive we’ve written, like “Uncontrolled” or “Hellbound.” Then there are songs like “Stardust” and “Cyclone,” which are probably the most vulnerable and experimental songs we’ve done, with new elements. It’s definitely a journey of discovery for us, super emotional and aggressive at the same time.”

You’ve talked about it being aggressive, but also about the different elements in the sound. How liberating was it to write with that kind of freedom?

“It’s very different. It’s like pushing yourself out there, even for your bandmates. It’s a different approach because you’re not in the fictional realm anymore. It’s completely real, and it’s the first time we’ve done something like this. They also relate to what’s being sung about from their own past experiences. It’s very liberating, but also very painful. It makes you deal with things you thought were resolved or buried. Then everything surfaces in a whirlwind of emotions. It can get intense.”

This is a very personal record and very vulnerable. Was it a challenge to put that out in front of your bandmates? What did you learn about yourself from taking this approach?

“I learned that, when you write songs to express something buried within yourself, it doesn’t mean everything goes away and is resolved just because you wrote about it. It’s a journey. Some things you will always feel. Writing is a coping mechanism, something you do for yourself to help you deal with it and view things from a different perspective.”

V13 Cover Story #119 – Gaerea

Was it cathartic to write?

“For sure. Most albums are. But this one is about myself, so it was completely different. It’s not about being selfish in writing anymore. It’s about how you perceive things, knowing a lot of people will relate because we’re dealing with human emotions such as loss, imposter syndrome, not belonging, and feeling like a nomad. It brings a different emotion while writing because you carry more weight on your shoulders. It’s not just about the fan base, it’s about whether you’re actually dealing with these things yourself. I’m still discovering that. It’s a journey between writing, recording, releasing, and playing it live, which will shape what this record becomes.”

Performance is a big part of the band. When you perform these personal songs live, will they take on a different life?

“For sure. The way we’re preparing the live set is very different. We’re making new arrangements and passages, even new bits of music to glue everything together. That’s something we’ve never done. It’s a very intimate way of presenting these songs. The fact that we sing for the first time already changes things. Playing the full experience will be different because we’re used to being very aggressive and cathartic. Now there’s room for that aggression, but also for elevating the intimacy of the whole show. We’re still discovering what that means.”

Do you see this journey continuing in future records?

“I don’t know. Maybe the next album will go back to super progressive dissonant black metal. I don’t know.”

Why did now feel like the right time to dig into these themes from your teenage years?

“I think it’s an age thing. Approaching your thirties and beyond, you realise that things you thought were resolved aren’t. As you enter a different stage of adulthood, it feels natural to reflect on when you were 15 and ask how those moments shaped you. I realized most things I do now are attached to those teenage years. I

think the reason I became a musician is that I went through trauma, losing a close friend who wanted to be a musician. He wanted it more than I did. I didn’t care about music that much, I just played guitar. That shaped everything. You end up living someone else’s dream and feeling guilty about that. There’s a song about that, and another about missing that person. The whole record reflects on those things.”

“I think it’s an age thing. Approaching your thirties and beyond, you realise that things you thought were resolved aren’t.”

How does it feel knowing people relate to such personal lyrics?

“It’s not easy. You have to open yourself to yourself. For a long time, I didn’t think about that period of my life. Then it hits you like a truck. You realize you’re not complete or that you’re broken because these things keep coming back. You understand you are the way you are because something happened when you were 15 or 16. One way I deal with it is by writing songs. It’s vulnerable writing about things that shaped you. Some are traumas, some are good memories. There’s empowerment too, but most of it is about loss, not belonging, and imposter syndrome.”

Does writing the record resolve any of those issues?

“Not really. At first I thought it would. That writing about it would resolve everything. It doesn’t. Some things take years and may never fully resolve. You’ll always miss someone. But maybe you feel less guilty because you’ve spent more time reflecting. Maybe you can live with the loss without feeling terrible all the time.”

Gaerea ‘Loss’ Album Artwork

This is the first album with the same lineup. Did that change the writing and recording process?

“It’s different. We’re more united and more friends than ever. They bring more to the table, and I’m more open to it. In the beginning, it was like I write the songs, everyone records, no discussion. We were different people then. Now we’re surrounded by emotionally open people. It makes everything better creatively and personally. Maybe that’s why we’re making a record like this.”

Did that make it easier to open up?

“For sure. I’m more open about explaining songs and letting them express what they feel. Before, it was just aggressive music, that was it. In black metal, musicians often don’t care what’s being sung about. It can be a selfish way of making music. I like debating ideas, sharing concepts and lyrics. When you’re young, you feel the world is against you and you don’t want to debate your ideas. Now it’s the opposite.”

Has being labeled a black metal band held you back?

“It’s strange. When we played more black metal and toured with bands like Watain and Behemoth, some fans said we weren’t black metal enough. Now that we say we don’t play black metal, people call us black metal. It’s weird, but I don’t think it held us back. We had different horizons. We toured with great bands and people. At some point, you ask where to evolve next. We don’t want to become the next Watain or Behemoth. We want to become our own thing. Every band goes through phases where they shift gears and discover themselves further. If you do the same thing forever, it becomes boring, for you and the audience.”

Do you think having Century Media behind you will help you reach your creative potential?

“They’re very creative people. It’s the first time we’ve been with a label that not only supports us but also brings ideas every week. They care about growth beyond sales. It won’t change our music, this album was written before we signed. We showed them demos, and they understood where we were going. They don’t want to change how we sound, they want to support us. That means a lot.”

When you walk on stage, what goes through your mind?

“Nothing and everything. It’s natural. We don’t rehearse the movements. I’m a terrible dancer in real life and self-conscious about it. But on stage, everything changes. You’re free to feel and express the music however it comes. Sometimes I don’t even remember what I did. You just let it flow. We believe we were born to do this.”

What does the band mean to you now, compared to when you started?

“It stood the test of time. I never thought I’d be a professional musician in 2026. I never thought I’d quit my job or tour the world. In the beginning, it was selfish and individualistic. Now it symbolises personal growth. I’m curious who I’ll be in 10 years, if we can even keep doing this that long. I started the band at 21, so it shaped my twenties. I sacrificed relationships, work, and money. Some results weren’t good, some were great. When you sacrifice a lot for something, you often only realize the good parts years later. This album is about that too.”